'Acupuncture Arrives in the USA: A 50-year Journey'

Acupuncture is an ancient system of manipulating human energy pathways with thin needles to balance the body. It came to our shores with the Chinese immigrants in the 1800s, but was still illegal in the USA in the 1970s. Then, a bursting appendix, deep in the heart of China, exploded a media sensation in the New York Times in 1971. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, James Reston, traveled to Beijing ahead of President Richard Nixon’s historic visit in 1972. There he underwent emergency appendix surgery and was given acupuncture to relieve intense post-op pain.

Reston’s New York Times front page account of the mysterious nature of Chinese acupuncture ignited a media frenzy. However, it took decades of a hard-won fight for legalization, education and licensing to allow acupuncture to become established in the USA. Many insurance companies pay for acupuncture treatments as an alternative medicine now. Also, acupuncture is a typical service at the animal rescue centers.

Our "Acupuncture" exhibition glimpses a rich history of the integration of cultures and medicine. Many warriors for Traditional Chinese Medicine won legalization and education, and continue the practice of this 5000-year old system in medicine here.

Museum Hours: Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays from Noon to 4 p.m.

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